The invention features oligofluorinated cross-linked polymers. Once cured, the oligofluorinated cross-linked polymers are useful as a base polymer in the manufacture of articles or as a fluorinated coating.
Polymeric materials have been widely used for the manufacturing of medical devices, such as artificial organs, implants, medical devices, vascular prostheses, blood pumps, artificial kidneys, heart valves, pacemaker lead wire insulation, intra-aortic balloons, artificial hearts, dialyzers and plasma separators, among others. The polymer used within a medical device must be biocompatible (e.g., must not produce toxic, allergic, inflammatory reactions, or other adverse reactions). It is the physical, chemical and biological processes at the interface, between the biological system and the synthetic materials used, which defines the short- and long-term potential applications of a particular device.
In general, the exact profile of biocompatibility, biodegradation and physical stability, including chemical and physical/mechanical properties i.e., elasticity, stress, ductility, toughness, time dependent deformation, strength, fatigue, hardness, wear resistance, and transparency for a biomaterial are extremely variable. A wide variety of polymers (including polycondensates, polyolefins, polyvinyls, polypeptides, and polysaccharides, among others) have been employed in the manufacture of biomedical devices, drug delivery vehicles, and affinity chromatography systems. Polymers are selected for the characteristics that make them useful in any given application.
Fluoropolymers are generally hydrolytically stable and are resistant to destructive chemical environments. In addition they are biocompatible and have been used as components of medical devices. The combination of chemical inertness, low surface energy, antifouling properties, hydrophobicity, thermal and oxidative stability have enabled a great diversity of application for these materials. Fluoropolymers have been prepared from tetrafluoroethylene, via chain growth polymerization reactions, and other fluorinated derivatives, via step growth polymerization reactions producing infinite network fluoropolymers. A challenge for the use of these polymers in certain applications is the processing limitation of working with solid material including, (e.g., fluorinated polyetherurethanes, made from polyether glycols, isocyanates, chain extenders and non-fluorinated polyols) rather than fluids, of which the latter are easily applied into molds or onto surfaces. The problem is even more difficult and almost impossible to manage when the above needs to be cross linked for specific applications. The demand and need for practical fluoropolymers with specific chemical and physical properties has directed the molecular design and development of new fluorinated monomers
There exists a need for co-polymer systems, which can be designed to provide the above characteristics that are needed for a variety of applications, including those in the biomedical field.